Clarifier cover

ABSTRACT

In the present invention, there is provided a removable cover for retaining off-gases inside a clarifier. The cover comprises trusses extending across the clarifier and a flexible sheet laid across the trusses. Structural angles enclose the clarifier and constitute a kick plate on the walkways around the clarifier for improving the safety of workers. One side of the flexible sheet is permanently affixed to a first wall of the clarifier. A series of pullers are mounted inside the structural angles for pulling and releasably sealing the three other sides of the flexible sheet against the outmost trusses and against a second wall of the clarifier opposite the first wall. Each puller has a cable-deflector bar extending substantially at a same level as a mounting surface of the puller for increasing an angle of downward pull on the flexible sheet. The flexible sheet is rolled-up along the trusses to expose machinery inside the clarifier.

This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/120,431 filedon Apr. 12, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,079, which was acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/598,682filed on Jun. 21, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,389,757.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention pertains to flexible covers for clarifiers, and moreparticularly, the present invention pertains to the sealing of aflexible cover over a clarifier for maintaining the content of theclarifier in a sealed environment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical industrial clarification installation comprises a plurality ofreservoirs or holding tanks to be filled with mill effluent.Clarification is normally effected by alternatively agitating andletting the effluent settle, and lifting floating scum from the surfaceof the effluent or scooping sediments at the bottom of the reservoir.These holding tanks are generally equipped with mechanical equipmentthat must be accessible for inspection, maintenance or for repair.

The clarification process is often accompanied by a fermenting actionand a generation of odorous bio-gases, and/or the release of volatileorganic carbons. For environmental reasons, these gases must becollected and treated. Therefore, a clarification reservoir, orclarifier, is preferably covered and sealed to contain the gases. Also,a clarifier preferably has a piping system to transport the gases to agas treatment plant.

When a removable flexible cover is installed over a clarifier, theinstallation must resist wind forces that tend to flap portions of thecover and stretch it laterally. Also, the attachment of a flexible covermust be sufficiently strong to permit one or more workers to walk on theflexible cover to fix it if the need arises.

A clarifier having a removable flexible cover mountable thereon mustalso provide for a certain level of safety when the cover is removed.During maintenance activities for example, it is common to find powertools, welding machines, acetylene torch carts and maintenance wagonsalong the perimeter of the clarifier. It is therefore important toprevent workers and equipment from sliding into the reservoir.

Examples of various systems available for covering a reservoir aredescribed in the following documents:

-   -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,195,310 issued on Jul. 20, 1965 to C. E.        Schroeder;    -   U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,370 issued on Apr. 13, 1982 to W. Guard et        al.;    -   German Patent DE 2,938,496 published on Apr. 24, 1980;    -   French Patent FR 2,668,195 published in Apr. 24, 1992.

Although the flexible covers of the prior art deserve undeniable merits,it is believed that these systems do not meet all the requirements for aflexible clarifier cover which is securely mountable, removable andsafe. It is believed that there continues to be a need for a newremovable flexible cover which may be positively sealed, which cansupport workers walking thereon and which provides for a safe workingenvironment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, however, there is provided a removableclarifier cover which has safety features incorporated therein, which isparticularly efficient for sealing a clarifier in a manner to resistwind stresses and to support workers walking thereon.

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided aremovable cover for retaining off-gases inside a clarifier having first,second, third and fourth walls. The cover comprises a flexible sheetlaid across the clarifier and having first, second, third and fourthmargins. There are also provided means for retaining and sealing thefirst margin to the first wall, and means for pulling and releasablysealing the second, third and fourth margins to the second, third andfourth walls respectively. The means for retaining and sealing the firstmargin to the first wall comprise a first structural angle extendingalong the first wall and having a leg member aligned upwardly. The meansfor pulling and releasably sealing the second, third and fourth marginscomprise spaced-apart pullers mounted inside second, third and fourthstructural angles extending along the second, third and fourth wallsrespectively and each structural angle has a leg member alignedupwardly.

In this aspect of the present invention the first, second, third andfourth walls, and the flexible sheet are usable for containing off-gasesinside the reservoir and the first, second, third and fourth structuralangles constitute kick plates enclosing the clarifier for enhancing thesafety of workers working around the clarifier.

In another aspect of the present invention, the clarifier covercomprises a plurality of spaced-apart trusses mounted across theclarifier and the flexible sheet is laid over the spaced-apart trusses.In this aspect of the invention, the flexible sheet is selectivelyrolled-up over the spaced-apart trusses for accessing equipment insidethe reservoir.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the meansfor pulling and releasably sealing the second, third and fourth marginsagainst the second, third and fourth walls respectively also comprisecables affixed to the second, third and fourth margins of the flexiblesheet and individually attached to a respective puller. Each of thepullers has a cable deflector bar extending substantially at a samelevel as a plane of mounting of the puller. These pullers areadvantageous for pulling the margins of the flexible sheet against themounting surface of each puller for facilitating the sealing of theflexible sheet against the second, third and fourth walls.

In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, thereis provided a removable cover for retaining off-gases inside a clarifierhaving first and second opposite side walls, and a pair of opposite endwalls. A plurality of spaced-apart trusses are mounted across the firstand second side walls. The trusses comprise first and second outmosttrusses each having an arched plated structure attached thereto, and aseries of intermediate trusses disposed between the first and secondoutmost trusses. The flexible sheet is laid over the spaced-aparttrusses and the outmost trusses. The flexible sheet has first and secondlongitudinal margins and first and second transversal edges. Theclarifier cover further has means for retaining and sealing the firstlongitudinal margin to the first side wall; means for pulling andreleasably sealing the second longitudinal margin to the second sidewall, and means for pulling the flexible sheet across the trusses andfor releasably sealing the first and second transversal edges to thefirst and second outmost trusses respectively. The means for pulling andreleasably sealing the second longitudinal margin against the secondside wall further comprise a pipe affixed to the second longitudinalmargin, a first series of pullers mounted to the second wall and aresilient pad extending under and adjacent the first series of pullers.Each puller has means for pulling the pipe and the second longitudinalmargin downward against the resilient pad for sealing the secondlongitudinal margin against the second side wall.

The means for pulling the flexible sheet across the trusses and forreleasably sealing the first and second transversal edges against thefirst and second outmost trusses respectively comprise grommets alongthe first and second transversal edges of the flexible sheet. Cablesextend through the grommets. Second and third series of pullers areaffixed to the first and second outmost trusses respectively. Thepullers have means for pulling the cables and the first and secondtransversal edges against the first and second outmost trussesrespectively for sealing these transversal edges against the outmosttrusses.

The first, second and third series of pullers have ratchet-typemechanisms that are easily worked for selectively releasing the flexiblesheet for opening the clarifier and exposing the equipment inside theclarifier.

Other advantages and novel features of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of this invention and several variant elementsare illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like numeralsdenote like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a clarification installation showing aclarifier having a pair of covers according to the preferred embodimentof the present invention mounted thereon end-to-end;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the clarifier illustrated in FIG. 1 asseen along line 2—2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of the attachment side of theclarifier cover taken from the left side of the cross-section view inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of the openable side of the clarifiercover taken from the right side of the cross-section view in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a preferred truss membersupporting the flexible sheet over a clarifier;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of one corner of the clarifiercover, taken along the openable side thereof;

FIG. 6A is an enlarged partial view of the pipe extending along theopenable side of the flexible sheet and illustrating a keyhole-like slotin this pipe, as seen in detail circle 6A in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a front, top and side perspective view of the preferred pullerfor retaining the clarifier cover in a sealed condition;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial cross-section view of the openable side ofthe clarifier cover as seen along line 8—8 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial cross-section view along an edge of theclarifier cover, showing a first preferred sealing arrangement of theflexible sheet over the outmost truss of the clarifier cover, as seenalong line 9—9 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of a first preferred sealingarrangement, as seen generally along line 10 in FIG. 9, for sealing thetransversal edge of the cover;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partial cross-section view along an edge of theclarifier cover, showing a second preferred sealing arrangement of theflexible sheet over the outmost truss of the clarifier cover, as seenalong a similar location as for the view defined by line 9—9 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of the second preferred sealingarrangement, as seen generally along line 12 in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of a triangular cover segment for covering anopening in a circular clarifier;

FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of the triangular segment, as seen alongline 14—14 in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a non-rectangular clarifier covered by aplurality of clarifier covers according to the present invention;

FIG. 16 is an elevation view of the non-rectangular clarifier shown inFIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a cross-section view of the openable side of a clarifiercover showing a variant puller mounted along the openable side;

FIG. 18 is a cross-section view of the attachment side of a clarifiercover showing a variant arrangement for sealing the attachment side ofthe flexible sheet to the peripheral walkway;

FIG. 19 is an end view of the openable side of a clarifier cover showinga variant installation for stretching and sealing the flexible sheetalong one of the outmost trusses;

FIG. 20 is an end view of the attachment side of a clarifier covershowing additional details of the variant installation shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a cross-section view of the outmost truss as seen along line21—21 in FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a plan view of a suspended clarifier cover comprising some ofthe novel elements used in the clarifier cover according to thepreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a cross-section view of the suspended cover as seen alongline 23 in FIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will be described in detailsherein a specific embodiment, with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an example of the principles of theinvention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodimentillustrated and described. A number of variant elements are alsopresented herein to illustrate various manners of construction,installation and operation of the present invention as applied tovarious clarifier configurations.

A clarification installation showing juxtaposed reservoirs 20 each beingcovered by a pair of clarifier covers 22 according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. In atypical clarification installation, each reservoir or clarifier 20 isdivided in two or more sections by one or more intermediate walkways 24.In a preferred installation, each section is covered by a clarifiercover 22 according to the preferred embodiment of the present inventionand is openable individually. Both covers 22 are symmetrical and jointlyseal the entire reservoir 20. Peripheral walkways 26 are also providedalong the perimeter of each reservoir 20.

In the preferred installation, a suction pipe 30 and valve 32 areconnected to the intermediate walkway 24, to draw bio-gases from underthe covers 22 and to convey the bio-gases through a main suction pipe 34leading to a bio-gas treatment plant 36.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the structure of the clarifier cover 22according to the preferred embodiment is illustrated therein. Thereservoir 20 illustrated therein has concrete perimeter walls 40, 42each having a T-like configuration and forming the peripheral walkways26.

The clarifier cover 22 comprises a series of trusses 44 that areremovably anchored to the opposite side walls 40, 42 of the reservoir.The trusses 44 are made of a single arched aluminum pipe having anoutside diameter of between about 1½ inches (38 mm) to 2 inches (50 mm)for installation in clarifiers having a width of about between 14 to 20feet (4.3 to 6 m). The spacing between adjacent trusses is about 4 to 6feet (1.2 to 1.8 m).

These trusses 44 are covered by a flexible gas-impermeable fabric sheet46 which is referred to herein as the flexible sheet. This preferredflexible sheet is a fibre-reinforced nylon-based sheet having stretchresistance properties to resist shrinking or sagging and sufficienttensile strength to support several workers walking thereon between thetrusses. The flexible sheet is preferably coated with polyvinyl chlorideor polypropylene to resist a variety of toxic fumes and has propertiesto resist deterioration by ultraviolet sun rays. The preferred flexiblesheet is pliable and also has fire retardant properties.

The clarifier cover 22 has an attachment side 50 to which the flexiblesheet 46 is permanently affixed and an openable side 52, opposite theattachment side 50. The flexible sheet 46 is affixed to the attachmentside 50 for being clamped down to the peripheral walkway 26 under afirst structural angle 54 extending along the attachment side 50.

The flexible sheet 46 has a hem 56 along the openable side 52 of theclarifier cover, and an aluminum pipe 58 is mounted inside the hem 56and extends the full length of the clarifier cover 22. The pipe 58 hasan outside diameter of about 2-3 inches (51-76 mm).

There is provided along the openable side 52, an elongated resilient pad60 made of a resilient material such as soft rubber for example. Aseries of pullers 70 is installed along the openable side 52, inside asecond structural angle 72 attached to the openable side, for pullingthe pipe 58 against the resilient pad 60 and for efficiently sealing theflexible sheet 46 to the openable side 52.

Each truss 44 has right-angled brackets 80, one at each end thereof.Each angle bracket 80 has a slot 82 in its lower vertical segment andone or more holes 84 in its upper horizontal segment. In the preferredinstallation, the rim wall 86 of each reservoir 20 has protruding anchorbolts 88 which coincide in size and locations with the placement of thetrusses 44, such that each truss is attachable to, or removable from arespective anchor bolt 88, by working the bolt and by lifting the truss44 out of the bolt 88.

The takeoff pipe 30 is preferably connected to the upper portion of thewalkway 24. A valve 32 is also preferably mounted on the takeoff pipe 30to isolate one reservoir 20 from the main suction pipe 34, for doinginspection, maintenance or repair work on that reservoir withoutaffecting the operation of other reservoirs in a same clarificationinstallation.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the outmost truss of a clarifier cover 22 isenclosed on one side thereof by an arched plated structure 90 extendingto and sealed against the peripheral walkway 26. The opposite outmosttruss is mounted to the arched plated structure 92 between two clarifiercovers and constitutes, with the arched plated structure 92, theintermediate walkway 24. The arched plated structures 90, 92 may haveone or more louvers or portholes therein (not shown) to admit air underthe clarifier cover 22, or to allow visual inspection of the reservoir.

Referring back to FIG. 2 the clarifier cover is openable by rolling theflexible sheet 46 onto the pipe 58 and along the trusses 44 asillustrated. The preferred pipe 58 has a square or hexagonal boss 96 ateach end. One of these bosses 96 is partly illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6.A socket wrench, a hand wheel 98 or similar tool may be mounted to thesebosses 96 for facilitating the winding of the flexible sheet onto thepipe 58. When a pair of hand wheels 98 are used, one of which is shownin FIG. 2, two workers, one standing on an intermediate walkway 24 andthe other one standing on the arched plated structure 90 for example,can roll up the flexible sheet 46 with ease.

An elongated tray 100 is defined by the first structural angle 54 forreceiving and holding the flexible sheet 46 in a rolled-up form. Aseries of gussets 102 are welded inside this first structural angle 54for forming a cradle for retaining the rolled-up flexible sheet abovethe anchor bolts 104.

When inspection or repair work needs to be done inside the reservoir 20,the flexible sheet 46 is easily removed as described and illustrated,and a number of trusses 44 may be removed and stacked side by side atone end of the reservoir 20 for example, thereby providing unobstructedaccess to the equipment inside the reservoir.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated therein one corner of theclarifier cover 22 according to the preferred embodiment. An importantfeature of the clarifier cover according to the preferred embodiment isthat there are provided kick plates enclosing each cover. The kickplates are made of the first and second structural angles 54 and 72 andtwo arched structural angles 110, 112 mounted over the arched platedstructures 90 and 92 respectively. As illustrated, the structural anglesare installed with one leg member extending upwardly and the other legmember, referred to hereinafter as the sole portion, laid against thesurface of the walkways 26 or the plated structures 90, 92. The heightof the kick plates, or the dimension of the uprising leg member, ispreferably at least about four inches (10 cm).

The kick plates, or structural angles 54, 72, 110 and 112 areadvantageous for preventing a worker from slipping and falling into thereservoir, or dropping a power tool or maintenance equipment in thereservoir when effecting maintenance work around the reservoir.

For further increasing the safety of workers working around theclarifier, there are provided handrails 120 mounted along the clarifiercover. These handrails 120 are mounted into a series of sockets 122affixed to the structural angles. The handrails 120 are removable fromthe sockets for doing maintenance work inside the clarifier.

Another important aspect of the clarifier cover according to thepreferred embodiment is the use of pullers 70 for sealing the flexiblesheet 46 to the outmost trusses 44 and to the openable side 52 of theclarifier cover. The preferred puller 70 has a frame 130, a main shaft132 mounted inside the frame 130. A ratchet wheel 134 is affixed to themain shaft 132 outside the frame. A pawl 136 is also mounted to theoutside of the frame 130 and interferes with the movement of the ratchetwheel 134 for maintaining a tension on a cable wound around the mainshaft 132. The main shaft 132 also has a square or hexagonal stem 138protruding outside the frame 130 on the opposite side of the framerelative to the ratchet wheel 134 and the pawl 136. The square orhexagonal stem 138 has dimensions for engagement with a socket wrenchfor rotation by a socket wrench. The main shaft 132 also has a slot 140there along and a pin 142 extending across the slot for retaining acable 144 to the shaft.

The preferred puller 70 also has a pair of flanges 146, for attachmentto the sole portion 148 of one of the structural angles 72, 110, 112, asillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 in particular. The pullers 70 which aremounted along the openable side 52 of the cover are preferably held byanchor bolts 150 extending through the flanges 146, through the soleportion 148 and through the resilient pad 60, for holding the pad 60down against the surface of the walkway 26. When the puller 70 ismounted to the arched plated structure 90 or 92, the puller 70 isretained to the arched plated structure by means of machine bolts 152extending through the flanges 146, through the sole portion 148 of thestructural angle 110 or 112, and through the arched plate structure 90or 92.

The preferred puller 70 also has a deflector bar 156 mounted to theframe, below the flanges 146. The deflector bar 156 is particularlyadvantageous for changing the direction of force of the puller forpulling the flexible sheet downward as illustrated and describedhereinafter, to better seal the clarifier cover 22.

The sealing of the clarifier cover 22 along the openable side 52 iseffected by pulling the pipe 58 downward against the resilient pad 60.This is effected using several pullers mounted along the structuralangle 72, each having a cable 144 and a knob 158 crimped on the end ofthat cable 144. The knobs 158 are inserted into keyhole-like slots 160which are illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 6A.

The cables 144 are pulled from under the deflector bars 156 and into thepullers 70, for pulling the pipe 58 downward against the resilient pad60 and for pulling the longitudinal margin of the flexible sheet 46along the trusses 44 and across the reservoir. The pipe 58 is preferablyheld to the hem 56 by means of a plurality of fasteners 162 extendingthrough the longitudinal margin of the flexible sheet and through thewall of the pipe 58. The preferred spacing between the pullers 70 alongthe openable side 52 is between 24 inches and 72 inches (0.6 to 1.8 m)for common clarifier installations.

The releasing of the pullers 70 for opening the clarifier cover is doneby working the hexagon stem 138 and the pawl 136 as is customary withcommon ratchet-type winches.

The sealing of the clarifier cover 22 along both outmost trusses 44 iseffected with another series of pullers 70 spaced apart along the archedstructural angles 110 and 112 as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 9. Theflexible sheet 46 has grommets 170 along each transversal edge thereofand a cable loop 172 extending through each grommet. The locations ofthe grommets 170 correspond to the locations of the pullers 70 along thestructural angles 110, 112. Each cable loop 172 is engaged under thedeflector bar 156 and into the main shaft 132 of each puller 70. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, the deflector bar 156 is generally closer to themounting structure 90 as is the upper segment 174 of each truss 44.Hence, the edge of the flexible sheet 46 is pulled downward by eachcable loop 172, as indicated by arrow 176 in FIGS. 9 and 10. In thefirst preferred arrangement, the cable loops 172 are parts of acontinuous cable 178 extending along the transversal edge of theflexible sheet 46 and through all grommets 170. The cable 178 hasstraight segments 180 extending between adjacent loops 172. Therefore,when one loop 172 is pulled into a puller 70, the tension of the cableis applied to the respective grommet 170 in a downward direction 176 asindicated previously, and also in a circumferential direction asindicated by arrows 182.

These compound forces 176, 182 are advantageous for pulling the flexiblesheet 46 against the trusses 44 and for preventing the flexible sheetfrom slipping across the trusses 44 in conditions of strong wind forexample, or when one or more workers walk over the flexible sheet forany reason. The circumferential tension 182 of the cable 178 causes thearc defined by the straight segments 180 to have a smaller radius thanthe radius of the upper segment 174 of the outmost truss 44. Thisfeature is advantageous for preventing the slipping of the flexiblesheet across and over the outmost truss 44 in a variety of stressconditions.

Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, there is illustrated therein a secondpreferred arrangement for sealing the edges of the flexible sheet 46against the outmost truss 44. In this second preferred arrangement, thekick plate along the arched plated structures 90 or 92 is made of acurved flat bar 190 affixed to a curved structural channel 192, theflanges of which face downward. The web portion of the channel 192 has aseries of slots 194 therein, the locations and spacing of whichcorrespond to the locations and spacing of the grommets 196 along thetransversal edge of the flexible sheet 46. The flexible sheet is lashedto the channel 192 by means of a cable 198 extending inside the channeland through the slots 194 and grommets 196.

The preferred cable 198 has a series of preformed loops 200 there along.Each loop 200 is defined by a clip 202. The length ‘L’ of each loop 200is a same as a spacing ‘L’ between two adjacent grommets 196. Thischaracteristic is advantageous for lashing the transversal edge of theflexible sheet to the channel 192 by inserting each loop through agrommet and into an adjacent loop, as illustrated in FIG. 12. In thissecond preferred installation, both ends of the cable 198 are attachedto a respective puller 70 one of which is shown in FIG. 12. Upontightening of the puller 70, the cable 198 is stretched around thecircumference of the arched plated structure 90 or 92 as illustrated byarrows 204 to further seal the transversal edge of the flexible sheetagainst the outmost truss 44.

While a rectangular clarifier cover has been illustrated and described,it will be appreciated that the principles and structural arrangementsof the present invention are not limited to rectangular clarifiers, butare also applicable to clarifiers having circular or polygonalperimeters.

For example, FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate partial details of a triangularcover segment 210 for covering an opening in a circular clarifier. Thecover segment 210 consists of a flexible gas-impermeable fabric sheetwith grommets along the sides thereof The circular clarifier of interestherein has a rigid cover with one or more triangular openings, throughwhich inspection and repair work inside the clarifier is carried out.The circular clarifier structure is not illustrated in details hereinfor being apparent from the previous disclosure. In this circularclarifier, each triangular opening is cover-able by a cover segment 210,and is openable by rolling the cover segment 210 on a flexible pipe 212,in a similar manner as previously described for the rectangularclarifier. The cover is openable entirely as previously described forthe rectangular clarifier, or partly as illustrated herein with portionsof the cover segment 210 being securely affixed to the clarifierstructure.

The cover segment 210 is partly of entirely held against the frame 214of the clarifier by several pullers 70 mounted inside structural angles216 also as previously described and aligned along one or both sides ofthe triangular opening. The angles 216 are attached to the rigidportions of the clarifier cover (not shown), and constitute kick platesalong both sides of the triangular opening.

In this particular installation, the flexible pipe 212 is preferablymade of several straight sections linked to each other by flexibletorque-transmitting joints 218. The flexible pipe 212 is therebyworkable between a straight mode for rolling the cover segment thereon,and a curved mode to better seal the cover segment 210 against acircular clarifier wall 220. Although the preferred flexible pipe 212 isillustrated herein with joints 218, it will be appreciated that it maybe made of a single section of flexible plastic material for example.

Another series of pullers 70 is mounted to the outside surface of theclarifier wall 220 and is used to retain the flexible pipe 212 and thecover segment 210 in a closed mode. The structural angle 222 retainingthe pullers 70 to the clarifier wall constitutes a guard rail forpreventing damage to the cover segment 210 and to the flexible pipe 212by equipment such as lawn mowers moving near the clarifier wall.

When the triangular cover segment is partly openable, the fixed portion224 is permanently anchored to the clarifier structure by means of clampbars 226 for example along both sides thereof. An intermediary tubularbar 228 is preferably affixed to the fixed portion 224 and held tight bytwo pullers 70 mounted to the clarifier structure 214.

For convenience, the triangular cover 210 segment may also be retainedto a channel and flat bar structure 230, such as described herein as thesecond preferred arrangement and illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. In thiscase, the edge of the triangular segment is affixed to the channel andflat bar structure 230 by a lashed rope 232 as previously described andillustrated.

Another example of a clarifier having a non-rectangular shape ispresented in FIGS. 15 and 16. In this arrangement, the clarifier 250 hasa octagonal shape and is covered by two rectangular covers 252 and fourtrapezoidal covers 254 separated by walkways 256, one of which 256′extends generally along a diameter of the clarifier. Each of the covers252 254 has an openable side adjoining the diametrical walkway 256′.Each, of the covers 252, 254 is opened by rolling the flexible sheet 260toward the outside of the clarifier in a same manner as previouslydescribed. Similarly, the edges of the flexible sheets are sealed alongthe attachment sides and against the upper segments of the outmosttrusses of each cover in a similar manner as previously described.

It should be noted that the trusses 262 of the trapezoidal covers 254have a same profile but different lengths. Each of these trusses 262 hasa low end along the diametrical walkway 256′ and a high end along one ofthe outside walls 264 of the clarifier. The high ends of these trussesdefine a series of juxtaposed vertical trapezoidal planes which arecovered and sealed by end plates 266. Each of the outmost trusses isalso covered and sealed by end plates 268.

The openable side 52 of each cover is sealed against the diametricalwalkway 256′ using the resilient pad 60 and pullers 70 as previouslydescribed, or using alternate pullers as will be described hereinafter.

It will be appreciated that the pullers 70 as illustrated in thepreferred embodiment of the present invention are advantageous but notessential to the proper operation of the cover. The illustration in FIG.17 presents an alternate puller arrangement 270 which is also effectivein sealing the flexible sheet 46 to the peripheral walkway 26. In this,alternate puller arrangement 270, a hook member 272 is mounted on athreaded stem 274 anchored to the walkway 26. The hook member 272 isadjustable vertically along the threaded stem 274 by means of a nut 276and washer. The hook member 272 engages with the aluminum pipe 58through an opening (not shown) in the hem 56. The nut 276 is tightenedto pull the hook member 276 and the aluminum pipe 58 downward to sealthe flexible sheet 46 against the structural angle 278.

When the structural angle 278 consists several short segments eachanchoring a single truss 44, a continuous S-shaped sealing plate 280 ispreferably attached to the structural angle segments and made to extendalong the entire length of the openable side 52. This S-shaped sealingplate 280 has a lower curved lip 282 sealed against the surface of thewalkway 26, and an upper curved lip 284 covering the upper edges of thestructural angle segments 278. This upper curved lip 284 constitutes thesealing edge against which the openable margin of the flexible sheet 46is pulled tight by the hook members 272.

When the structural angle 278 consists several short segments eachanchoring a single truss 44, another continuous S-shaped sealing plate280 is also used along the attachment side 50 of the cover asillustrated in FIG. 18. The sealing plate 280 is attached to thestructural angle segments 278 by bolts 288. In this arrangement, theattachment margin of the flexible sheet 46 is affixed to the walkway 26under a clamp bar 290 bolted to the walkway by anchor bolts 292. TheseS-shaped sealing plates 280 constitute kick plates along both sides ofthe clarifier for enhancing the security of workers around theclarifier.

Referring now to FIGS. 19-21 a variant installation for stretching andsealing the flexible sheet against one of the outmost trusses isillustrated therein. In this variant installation, a rope 300 isthreaded into a hem 302 along the lateral margin of the flexible sheet46 and is kept taut by a puller 70 affixed to the structural angle 278,with the deflector bar 156 thereof set below the top surface of thetruss 44.

On the attachment side 50 of the cover, the rope 300 is guided under apeg 304 affixed to the end plate 306 on the outmost truss. The peg 304is substantially a same distance from the upper segment of the truss 44as is the deflector bar 156 on the puller 70. The rope 300 is anchoredto the structural angle 278 on the attachment side 50 of the cover.

The rope is pulled tight by the puller 70, to retain the hem 302 at aradius which is smaller than the radius of the upper segment of thetruss 44, whereby the hem 302 is effectively retained against movementacross the truss 44.

In this variant installation, one or more clips 308 are affixed to theend plate 306 along the arched segment defined by the hem 302, and therope 300 is inserted under each clip 308. It has been found a few clipsalong the rope are very effective in preventing any slippage of theflexible sheet 46 over the outmost truss 44, and for enhancing thesafety of workers who may have to walk over the cover.

Referring particularly to FIG. 20, the clamp bar 290 on the attachmentside 50 of the cover may be replaced by a structural angle 310 to obtainsubstantially the same function, while providing an additional kickplate along the cover.

In FIGS. 22 and 23, there is illustrated a suspended rectangular covercomprising a sheet of gas-impermeable, flexible, high strength fabricsuch as the aforesaid flexible sheet 46 which is stretched across andaffixed to all four sides of a reservoir 320 using clamp bars 290 aspreviously described herein. This type of cover is more economical andversatile than those already described. These covers are typically usedto capture odorous vapours from the reservoir contents, to blocksunlight thus reducing algae growth or chlorine loss, to protect againstdebris, and to reduce heat loss in the reservoir contents. In this typeof installation, there is no truss or other cross member to supportinwardly-directed reaction loads on the walls of the reservoir. Thewalls of these reservoirs are susceptible of being damaged byinwardly-directed point loadings.

In the suspended cover described herein, however, the flexible sheet, 46may be floating at the surface of the reservoir or suspended looselyfrom its edges. The flexible sheet is not tensioned across the reservoiropening like a trampoline. It is designed to deflect or sag loosely inthe middle. This deflection allows the cover to support snow loads whilekeeping the fabric tension within safe working limits of the material.One or more weight lines 322 are mounted over the cover to cause one ormore depressions in the cover surface to collect rainwater or meltingsnow. One or more drain holes 324 extend through the flexible sheet 46,along the weight lines to automatically evacuate rain and snow-meltwater from the surface of the cover into the reservoir.

The weight line 322 also tensions the flexible sheet 46 to reduce windflutter and to prolong the life of the cover fabric. The weight line 322is secured in its position on the cover by ropes or straps which aretied to anchors at the cover perimeter. The weight line 322 can beremoved and reinstalled by operators without standing on the cover.

An array of cables 326 is mounted under the flexible sheet 46. Eachcable has one end affixed to an anchor 328 on one side or one end of thereservoir 320 and the other end is mounted in a puller 70 or winch onthe other side or the other end of the reservoir. The winches 70 allowoperators to vary the cables' lengths and tensions. In normal use, thecables 326 are set to sag loosely below the flexible sheet 46 asillustrated in FIG. 23, such that the cover is not supported on thecables. When the cover needs to be opened, the cables 326 are pulledtight to support the flexible sheet 46. The flexible sheet 46 can thenbe released from its clamp bars 290 and can be partially rolled up fromone side or from one end of the reservoir. The array of cables 326 isalso pulled tight to install a new flexible sheet 46 in a newinstallation, or to replaced an aging cover.

As soon as the flexible sheet is clamped down to the walls 330 of thereservoir, the cables 326 are lengthened and left to hang loosely underthe flexible sheet. The major advantage of this installation is that innormal conditions, the cables do not apply point loading or concentratedside load on the walls of the reservoir which could eventually lead todamage to these walls. The loads applied to the walls of the reservoirby the flexible sheet are evenly distributed and therefore notdetrimental to the structural integrity of the reservoir.

Although the above description refers to industrial clarifierinstallations, it will be appreciated that the principles of the presentinvention can be applied to other water and wastewater reservoirs andtanks such as: chlorine contact basins; raw water storage tanks;reclaimed water storage tanks, sand filters, aeration basins; digesters;trickling filters; sludge thickeners; equalization basins; etc. It willalso be appreciated that the feature of one embodiment may be used inanother.

In view of the above, it will be appreciated that many changes andmodifications may be made to the illustrated and described embodimentswithout departing from the essence of this invention. Therefore, theabove description and illustrations should not be construed as limitingthe scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims.

1. A clarifier cover for retaining off-gases inside a clarifier havingside walls, said clarifier cover comprising: a flexible gas-impermeablesheet affixed to said side walls and sagging between said side walls; anarray of cables affixed to said side walls and hanging loosely undersaid flexible gas-impermeable sheet; and adjustable tensioning meansengaged with said cables for selectively tensioning said cables and forsupporting said gas-impermeable flexible sheet with said array ofcables.
 2. The clarifier cover as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidtensioning means comprises winches.
 3. The clarifier cover as claimed inclaim 1, further comprising a weight line laid over said flexible sheet.